I’ve had the pleasure of working with thousands of brides over the past 18 years in beauty. What I’ve learned is that aiming for a look that is timeless, classic and feels like you is always the best way to go. Don’t do anything far outside your norm just to feel different. You want to look back 30 years from now and still feel that your wedding pictures represent who you are. I was excited for the opportunity to give our bride-to-be, Tanya, a fresh look that has an elevated and elegant feel.
First things first, great skin prep is key. For bridal makeup, you always want the skin to be the star of the show. I prepped Tanya’s skin with an ultra hydrating, hyaluronic face serum, eye serum, vitamin C and squalane moisturizer, and a moisturizing lip treatment. All of these are light-weight and fast absorbing.
Next up, I primed her skin to ensure longevity. I love applying primers with my fingers and focusing where the skin can get oily or melt away. You need to be very sparing with this step. Too many heavy layers of skincare and primers can make your makeup fall right off your face. Leave at least 30 seconds in between each skincare and priming step for maximum absorption.
Pro tip: Look for primer products that say “ultra grip” or “long-lasting” to really help your makeup stay in place the full day.
With being in her 50’s, Tanya is worried about hot flashes and the warmer weather melting her makeup off. This is where the formula of your foundation is really important. You want to be sure to opt for a long lasting, “all-day wear” wear formula that is also waterproof to combat heat and sweat. Tanya also wants her skin to look fresh, so I chose an option that is a sheer to medium buildable coverage. This will ensure her skin doesn’t look cakey and we’re still seeing her skin shine through.
Tanya wanted her under eyes to look refreshed and bright – don’t we all? She felt like she has dark circles she wanted to disguise. For this concern, I recommend using a concealer that has a pink undertone for fairer skin tones or a peach/salmon undertone for those with medium, deep or dark skin. If you use a skin tone shade of concealer, it will make your undereyes look ashy and certainly not bright. Apply your colour correcting concealer to the darkest parts under the eyes and blend upwards and outwards for a lifted effect.
So JLo’s iconic neutral, glowy makeup is Tanya’s inspiration for her bridal look, however, she wants it to be barn wedding appropriate. When it comes to the cheeks, she really isn’t that into a heavily contoured look. So I was sure to give her some cheekbone definition but to do it in a way that looks sunkissed. For a natural contour, use a warm shade and nothing too ashy in tone. For her cheeks, I went for a flattering creamy peach flush. For the glow, I opted for a cream-to-powder finish highlighter. If you are over 35, I highly recommend ditching your powdered, strobe-like highlighters and opt for something more natural looking. You always want your skin to look like you just left the estheticians after an incredible facial.
For the eyes, Tanya wanted to try incorporating a light lilac/lavender on the eyes because that tone is in her wedding colours and lavender also grows on the farm where she will be getting married. Typically, I would steer against this for fear of the makeup not looking timeless, however, I added a very subtle hint of it on the lids of her eyes without it looking overt. I calmed the colour of it down by using a matte warm brown tone in the crease to ground it. I also used a champagne tone in the inner corners of her eyes to open them up and make them twinkle. For the lash line, Tanya really wanted to try the strip lashes I was wearing for the segment, now normally, I highly, highly recommend individual lashes as they’re much more comfortable, look more natural, and won’t lift off the edges of your eyes (and if you’re a cryer, this is definitely the way to go) – but because Tanya was so taken with this particular style of strip lashes, we opted for those instead.
For the lips, Tanya requested a neutral nude lip, however, a true nude would’ve really washed her out. I added a rosey pink tone to her nude lip look – by layering a pink lip lacquer with a nude lip lacquer – to make it feel a touch more bridal than your average nude lip.
To set the entire look, I recommend a translucent blotting powder and setting spray. Both will aid in keeping the makeup in place all day and creating a seamless finish. I recommend pressing the translucent blotting powder into the t-zone to disguise pores and to achieve that airbrushed look in your photos. It’s also great to bring this along with you for touch-ups as well! 
So there you have it! To watch the full segment – click here. And as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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